baked

Baked Mini Cheesecakes

Food

Baked Mini Cheesecakes

Whoever came up with the idea of making cake out of cheese deserves an extremely vigorous high five.

And let’s not forget the cunning mastermind who made the first miniature version of something.

I mean, name one thing that doesn’t taste way better in a slightly shrunken state. Mini muffins are approximately 2350569 times better than their regular-sized counterparts. And mini Chips Ahoy cookies? Don’t even get me started.

Cheesecake is, of course, no exception.

Shelly’s birthday was last weekend, and I had the super thoughtful and industrious idea to bake her a surprise birthday pie. I was all prepared to spend my Saturday afternoon buying pie ingredients, laboriously rolling out a double crust, and packing that bad boy full of fresh apple and pear slices. Then I accidentally got drunk and told her all about my pie plans.

I fully expected her to be ecstatic about the impending birthday pie, but instead she leaned in and said “You know what I want more than pie? Mini cheesecakes.”

That ungrateful she-devil.

Just kidding! Cheesecake is way less involved than pie, and so delightfully cheesy, so I was pretty open to the idea.

I’ve made all kinds of cheesecake in my day: no-bake, crustless, sour cream-based, yogurt-based, ricotta-based, goat cheese-based, but none quite as satisfying as the mini cheesecake. These mini cheesecakes are incredibly easy to make and taste great topped with fruit, chocolate, jam, or just plain. Plus, mini things can be eaten with your hands, and utensils are absolutely for chumps.

This recipe makes 12 mini cheesecakes and includes enough dairy to challenge even the brawniest of digestive systems:

Ingredients

  • 1 cup(s) graham cracker crumbs
  • 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/4 cup(s) ricotta cheese
  • 1 1/4 cup(s) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup(s) icing sugar, sifted
  • 2 eggs

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Grease cupcake liners.
  2. Combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Spoon evenly into muffin cups (approximately 1 tbsp per cup) and use something round and firm to press the crumbs into the bottom of the cups.
  3. In a large bowl, beat ricotta until smooth. Add cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar and mix using an electric mixer or food processor until smooth.
  4. Add eggs one at a time and mix into batter.
  5. Evenly distribute cake mix into muffin cups.
  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set completely and slightly golden around the edges. Let cool 1 hour and then refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Remove paper lining and top with fresh fruit.

Note: These cheesecakes will collapse if you attempt to remove the paper before they have been sitting in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours. It’s probably best to make them a day ahead, but if you’re tight on time you can serve them in their paper cups and just pretend they’re supposed to be that way.